Roland and Vera Mitchum

Vera and I moved to Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, to begin a new church plant. In November 2014, a room was rented for the new church plant in the north by northeast region of the city. This area of the city is still growing with the building of new housing. Our outreach ministry revolves around several areas, which allows personal contact with 60-80 people who are unsaved. To date, we have met no one who has given a clear salvation testimony. Most of those we have contact with would be from middle-age up through retirement age. While the people seem friendly, they are reserved and do not like anyone coming to their house to visit. Because of this, we meet in coffee shops and spend time trying to develop relationships with those we have contact with. We also do canvassing in targeted areas and use a postal program called Precision Targeting to place a John and Romans with our contact information in as many homes as the Lord will allow. The Lord has given a great location to have Sunday services. We meet in a community center that is very well known and used by the local people.

Profile details

Appointment

04-18-00

Field Info

Nanaimo is a port city located on the eastern side of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver Island is the largest North American island in the Pacific. Located off the southwest coast of mainland British Columbia, Nanaimo began as a rich coal-mining town, but forestry now is the leading industry. Forestry, especially the pulp mill, is the main contributor to the economy, alongside tourism and technology. The population of metro Nanaimo is 98,021 (2011 Census). A majority of the population is from European descent, whose main religion is Anglican. Along with the Europeans there are Aboriginal, which includes First Nations (Native Americans) and Asians, with each having their own religions. More than half of those who claim to be Canadian do not practice any religion at all. We find there are also sizable Sikh and Buddhist communities. Witchcraft is also very prevalent on the island, especially in Nanaimo, which has its own Pagan Pride Day.